kiln

noun

ˈkiln  ˈkil 

: an oven, furnace, or heated enclosure used for processing a substance by burning, firing, or drying

kiln transitive verb

Did you know?

The word kiln was kindled in Old English as a bundle of c-y-l-n. Unlike many words that descend from Old English, however, kiln is not ultimately Germanic in origin but was borrowed from Latin culina, meaning "kitchen," an ancestor of the English word culinary, which has been a menu option in English since the 17th century. An ingredient in culina is coquere, meaning "to cook" in Latin.

Examples of kiln in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Back then, the Ranch was, as veterans of the place have recalled, little more than a kiln in a field. — Sarah Douglas, ARTnews.com, 4 Sep. 2026

Pieces must be shaped, dried, fired, glazed, fired again and tested; Przenioslo uses a community kiln and gives herself at least two months to prepare a collection. — Pat Mueller, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2026

These include styles made of hardwood and kiln-fired frames as well as easy-to-clean upholstery and covers. — Kate McGregor, Architectural Digest, 1 Sep. 2026

The team believes that the approach could reduce wasted heat and also eliminate emissions associated with burning fossil fuels in cement kilns. — Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 27 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English kilne, from Old English cyln, from Latin culina kitchen, from coquere to cook — more at cook

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined above

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Kids Definition

kiln

noun

ˈkiln  ˈkil 

: an oven or furnace for hardening, burning, or drying something

brick kilns

kiln verb